Read Online Darkness Unbound by Zoe Forward - Free Book Online Page B

focused on various portable electronics. Guess this was a magus-only field trip. No Kane. Disappointment lodged in her stomach. She longed for the comfort of his presence.
    Nate glanced up. “I didn’t peg you as a motion sickness girl.” He grinned and quirked an eyebrow.
    Astrid swung her gaze to his and glared.
    Nate’s eyes went wide. The grin vanished. He resumed focus on his laptop.
    A sloucher with shaved-smooth head and every prominent area pierced said in a thick Eastern European accent, “The pisser about that much drunk is no remembering what happened. You even remember being hauled out of the hospital? I’m V, by the way.”
    Astrid trapped Christian with her eyes. “I remember the hospital. The bar is a bit fuzzy. Would you say anything odd happened in the bar?”
    “I suppose it depends on your definition of odd,” Christian replied slowly. Gone was his infectious enthusiasm. In its place sat Mr. Serious.
    She sought out Khyan who shifted his gaze away. Wuss.
    She took that as a what-happened-last-night-stays-last-night. “When does this plane ride end?”
    “‘Bout an hour,” Ashor replied without breaking his attention on an e-reader.
    “Where are we headed?” she asked.
    “Egypt,” Ashor said, looking up. “You shouldn’t be nauseated from drinking or injuries. Kira said she took care of that. Do you have motion sickness or something?”
    “Or something.” She had no clue why she was nauseated. Maybe it had to do with using the portal-opening energy.
    “You and Christian…did you…and now you’re pregnant?” Nate asked.
    Ashor’s eyes widened as if that possibility hadn’t crossed his mind. His silent stare asked if it was possible.
    “Seriously?” Astrid asked. She slammed her eyelids closed and pressed a finger against each eyeball as she slid into her seat.
    “We didn’t!” Christian sputtered.
    The tall blond, Eric, laughed hard. “You’ve obviously never gotten a woman in trouble, Nate. Takes far longer than twenty-four hours before morning sickness sets in.”
    “You would be the pro, Eric,” Nate grumbled.
    Eric smiled broadly. “You’re just jealous of my little ones.”
    “Anyone got an ibuprofen?” Astrid rested her head against the seatback.
    “Meds don’t work on the boys,” said the auburn-haired woman from her seat beside the gigantic Arabic-looking guy. “You’d be lucky to find anything tame in their bags. Javen might have some turbocharged pot or meth. He’s piloting.” Astrid recognized the Arabic guy from a strange confrontation in Costa Rica two weeks ago—back when she thought these guys were behind a series of child abductions. How wrong she’d been on that assumption.
    “If it’d help my head, I’ll take it,” Astrid replied.
    “No. Not until you’re inducted do you get to try any sort of high potency shit,” Christian declared. “You’re not allowed to get drunk or take anything that might mess up your head.”
    Astrid challenged, “Why not?”
    Christian stared unsmiling, daring her to make him vocalize the why.
    The redhead woman intro-ed, “I’m Shay. So, what exactly happened last night before the hospital incident that has Khyan and Christian so uptight, yet tight-lipped?”
    “Christian got me drunk. I don’t remember. You sure you didn’t get me pregnant, Christian?”
    “Oh, hell no. We didn’t and even if we did and word gets back to Dr. Kira that I…without protection…fuck, no.” Christian gulped down an entire bloody Mary. He rapidly poured himself a tall glass of brown liquor, which he swallowed in three gulps.
    Astrid bit her lip against a smile.
    Shay asked Khyan, “What exactly happened? Did Christian sleep with her? Come on, Khyan. You’re usually all over crazy shit, and then bragging about it.”
    “They did not sleep together.” Khyan’s eyes met those of the Arabic guy next to Shay.
    The Arab’s dark brows drew upward. “Something that bad, eh?”
    Shay wrapped her arms around the massive